Tag: wisdom

So how do we explain the word “first” in Matthew 6, if there is no “second” as we argued in part 1? I am not a Greek scholar, and therefore I do not master the order of words in Greek sentences. Nevertheless, in light of the evidences already brought forth, I will postulate that Matthew 6:33 should have been translated:

Matthew 6:33 – But first seek ye the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Instead of “seek ye first” as found in just about all biblical translations, I believe we should understand “first seek ye”. There is a difference, and it is a significant one. When one says “seek ye first” the word “first” refers to the object to be sought (in Matthew 6, it is the kingdom of God and His righteousness). And we can ask…Seek ye first what? Answer: the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. And because of that, logic dictates that what must come after should be “seek ye second this” (or something similar), which could also be followed by “seek ye third that”. “First”, “second” and “third” all refer to what needs to be sought after, the actual objects.

In stark contrast, when one says “first seek ye”, the word “first” refers to the action of seeking, not to the object to be sought after. And we can ask…First, do what? Answer: seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness. And therefore, in this case, what must come after needs not being another action of seeking (as in “seek ye second”). What comes second could be the outcome of performing the action seeking, or anything else for that matter. I believe this is precisely the meaning of Matthew 6:33: “First, seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, then all these things will be added unto you”. There is one and only one thing to seek (God’s kingdom and His righteousness), and there is one resulting outcome for seeking that “one” thing (everything else will added to us).

So why does this matter?

I believe to seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness is so much easier to do when we realize that it is the only thing we are supposed to be doing. And yes, to be honest, this could be quite an unsettling statement.

But it is only the case because we have become deeply hardwired into being concerned about our own needs (ourselves, our families, our loved ones). Yet, God’s children should not be afraid by Matthew 6:33, at least if our interpretation is correct. Quite the contrary, to follow Jesus’ commandment of Matthew 6:33 is the best way to test and increase our reliance on God. This is how we fulfill our part of our relationship with our Father.

If King Solomon’s story is any indication, the promise that everything will be added to us as we focus on nothing but God is an absolute certainty: Our needs in all categories will be met. These needs we have are legitimate, and Jesus Himself acknowledges them in Matthew 6. But when we believe that Jesus has given us permission to seek them as long as we seek God first, that is when everything gets very complicated. Everything gets complicated because 1) we are left wrestling with the question on how to put God first in our lives (which is the reason why everyone has a different opinion on it) and 2) we are now confronted with Jesus’ rebuke (in the same chapter mind you) that it is impossible to serve two masters (Matthew 6: 24, 25) because we will eventually despise one of them. And if life has taught us anything, it is typically God we end up despising. So, “See ye first” or “First seek ye”? What is your take?

Matthew 6:33 – But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

If we are honest with ourselves, most of us have wrestled at least at some point with the question: How do I seek God first? Or How do I put God first in my life? For some, the answer is to make sure that the first action they take in the morning when they wake up is to pray, meditate, read the Bible or something of that nature…in other words, putting God first is putting Him first in the day (after all, Jesus Himself did that). For others, it means that before taking any decision, they lift the situation to God first (most likely in prayer). They are then peaceful in taking their decision simply because they “consulted” with God first, even though they may have not gotten an answer from Him (I am certainly guilty of that). Yet for others, it means never missing Church on Sunday, no matter what.
The reality is that if you ask 10,000 Christians what it means to seek God first, you will get 10,000 answers. And this fact is most certainly a clear indication of a serious problem. I will argue that how Matthew 6:33 is typically interpreted is the very source of much of the troubles those who want to serve God face in life. I will argue that Matthew 6:33 is not saying that God’s kingdom and His righteousness is the “first” thing we should seek, but that instead it is “the only thing” we should seek. And there is a “BIG” difference between these two interpretations.

By stating that we should seek “first” the kingdom of God and his righteousness, it seems that Jesus is permitting us to seek other things as well, as long as the first thing we seek is God’s kingdom and righteousness. Indeed, if there is something to be sought “first”, then logic demands that, at least, there must be something to be sought “second”. And this understanding is arguably the most prevalent for most of us Christians. But isn’t this understanding flawed?
Look again at this verse. What is the result of seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness first? “All these things will absolutely (that is what “shall” means) be added unto us”. What things? The things listed throughout Matthew 6, which are everything us, human beings, typically seek in life: “what we shall eat, what we shall drink, what we shall put on”. So the obvious question is this: If “every” imaginable natural need we seek to satisfy in life will be “given” to us, what else is there to seek? Obviously nothing! Because something that is given does not need to be sought after…it is given. We see therefore that although Matthew 6:33 states “Seek ye first”, it actually gives no room for something else to be sought after.

The example of King Solomon: King Solomon became the wisest and richest man to ever live, and 2 Chronicles 1: 7-12 records how this came to be.

2 Chronicles 1: 7-12 – In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee. 8 And Solomon said unto God, …10 Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great? 11 And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king: 12 Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.

Note that God was very pleased with King Solomon for two specific reasons: 1) he did not ask for any riches, etc. for himself and 2) his “sole” focus was on God’s business, His people! We shall see that most likely this is the very same thing Jesus is requiring of us in Matthew, that we forget ourselves and that instead we focus on God’s business. Now we know King Solomon indeed became “very” rich. But did he do anything in particular to become rich? Of course not! Wealth was “given” to Him by God. That does not mean that he did not sign treaties or negotiated whenever the opportunities presented themselves. But those opportunities should be understood as the fulfillment of the promise of God. Solomon had nothing to do with them per say! He became rich because God had promised that He will make him rich. I believe in Matthew, we are exhorted, commanded to have the same kind of “undivided” focus toward God’s business. After all, isn’t that the first commandment?

Mark 12:30 – Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

The parallel record of Luke 12:31: It is interesting to note that Luke 12:31, which conveys essentially the same message as Matthew 6:33, does not include the word “first”.

Luke 12:31 – But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Compared to Matthew 6:33, Luke 12:31 has two notable omissions: the word “first” and the word “righteousness”. Why “righteousness” is not mentioned here is, I am sure, an entirely different topic, which is well beyond the scope of this article. However, that the word “first” is not mentioned here is particularly noteworthy for this study. In Luke, Jesus tells us simply to “seek the kingdom of God”. And from this record, it is rather evident that the kingdom of God is the only thing to be sought, since just as in Matthew, “everything” else will be added to us as we do so.

Some words of Wisdom: This is what King Solomon has to say, the man to whom God gave wisdom like to no other.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 – Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the “whole” duty of man.

To fear (or respect with reverence) God and to keep His commandments is the “whole” duty of man. There is nothing else that man is supposed to be doing other than respecting God and do His commandments. There clearly is perfect harmony between what King Solomon is saying and the position we are proposing here that the “only” thing man is to seek is the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

So there are really two questions that come to mind: The first is how should we understand the word “first” in Matthew 6:33, since there is no indication that this word was added by bible translators as it is sometimes the case. The second is what are the implications of what we argued in this article? We address these in part 2.

Danger 2: Forget the Church…I have been hurt too many times! Click here for part 1.

Ask anyone who has had a negative experience with churches and you are bound to hear words such as deception, betrayal, abuse, and mind control, just to name a few. Negative experiences with churches are generally “very, very” painful. You want the full spectrum of pain suffering? Yes, churches have you covered nowadays! Spiritual, emotional, financial, physical…check! These pains are among the most destructive and the most difficult to overcome. But why are churches today so adept at inflicting such pains? Paul in the passage below exposed fully the spiritual reality and aspirations leading to such experiences.

Acts 20:29 – I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.
The apostle Paul was warning the “true” church leaders about false teachers who will penetrate the church and cause chaos and destruction among the children of God. Those false teachers are called “savage wolves” in order to highlight the degree of destruction they will cause, and the ruthless cruelty with which they will carry their tasks.
But look, Paul does not even stop there. In verse 30 He tells that some among the very leaders he was speaking to will destroy people’s lives in order to achieve selfish gains. He is speaking of people who start well, but end up working for the devil. Everyone wanting to have their own little flock! Just look at the number of churches today, and it seems like Paul was quite right on this one!

Acts 20:30 – Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.
Many so-called church leaders today are exactly those “savage wolves” who do not spare members of their congregations, by deceiving, betraying and abusing them in every kind of way possible. Many so-called church leaders willfully and knowingly distort the truth of God for personal gains, at the detriment and hurt of God’s children. But where does the danger to our spiritual lives really lie? The danger is in ourreactions to those experiences! Savage wolves will continue to be around. And precisely, it is this fact that makes our responses all the more important.

“I want nothing to do with churches anymore!” is something you may expect to hear from those who do break free from such abuses. And anyone would certainly understand why. However, the danger is that among those individuals, some end up actually quitting on God Himself, rather than quitting only on those who have hurt them. Yes, there are savage wolves around. But God still protect His Children. Ask God, and ask again! He will deliver you.

Psalms 34:7 – The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.
In the context addressed in this article, God will deliver you by placing you where His true servants are, those that He entrusts to serve His people. Those servants are the ones, who, every single day, only seek to please God rather than fulfill their own selfish egos and desires.

Quitting on God as a result of your sufferings is where the real danger is. God is the same today and forever. Quit on them, but do not quit on God. He will deliver you even from the mouth of those savage wolves. Do not let those wolves rob you of the plans God has for you, of your spiritual growth and your spiritual rewards.

This series is about recognizing six very real and common dangers to our spiritual growth**. This said, that these dangers actually exist is not something to be afraid of. Hey, that is the world we live in! And that one falls into their traps is not the biggest matter either. The biggest matter – which can sometime be a matter of life and death – is what one does (or does not) in the presence of these dangers. And that is precisely why it is important that we learn to recognize them.

Hosea 4:6 – My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…

The lack of knowledge, the knowledge of God’s will and intent for our lives, is the deadly enemy of men. It is the lack of knowledge that destroys man. Knowledge, on the contrary, preserves life.

Ecclesiastes 7:12 – For wisdom is protection just as money is protection, but the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the lives of its possessors.

Money may protect, but it does not preserves life (now…that’s deep!). On the contrary, knowledge, by virtue of wisdom, does. The dangers to our spiritual lives are all linked to “knowledge”. Therefore, the central question should be “what causes us to lack in that knowledge which preserves life?” Whatever is preventing someone from acquiring that knowledge of God’s will and intent for his or her life is, in essence, the danger that person is facing. And the six dangers to be discussed in this series deserve special attention for four reasons:

They are everywhere: Most of us will identify with at least one of them at some point in our lives. They are subtle: Some of them may appear completely harmless or even Godly.They are often hard to overcome: Once (or if) recognized, some may take the rest of one’s life to overcome. Yes, they can be that dangerous. They are experienced, particularly, by Christians themselves.

Danger 1: I do not understand the Bible

This is perhaps the most obvious of the six dangers. If you do not understand a source of knowledge, then you simply cannot acquire knowledge from that source. If I do not understand an article’s description of a new drug and its interaction with the human body, then I certainly cannot gain any knowledge regarding that drug from that article. If an instructor tries to teach me in a language I do not speak, I will certainly not learn anything from him or her, regardless of how much knowledge he or she is trying to impart unto me. There is simply no knowledge without understanding.
In the case of the Bible, it may appear to you that it is full of contradiction. It may not seem to apply to you, or to your particular situation. You may want to believe that it is truly God who is the author of that Book, but you just can get yourself to be convinced of it. You do not know where to start, or where to finish. A lot of people you know always proclaim God’s goodness but you just can’t see it in your own life, and sometimes even in theirs.
Now, not understanding is really not a danger in itself. But when one does not do anything about it, then we have a real danger. Here is the attitude we should have.

Psalm 119:27 – Make me understand the way of Your precepts, So I will meditate on Your wonders.

Many men and women before you were exactly where you are now; simply not understanding the Bible. These people, just like you, did not always understand everything. But God knew it just as He knows that you and I do not always understand what we read in the Bible (His Word). However, among them, some did not stand still; instead they asked God for the ability to understand.

Matthew 7: 7-9 – “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

The reality is, there is probably nothing else in this entire world that you can possibly ask God that will make Him happier than asking Him to understand His Word. Therefore, know that if you “really” want to understand the Bible, “you” should ask Him, and He will do whatever is necessary to make that happen.

Jesus-Christ said that His sheep will recognize His voice. “You” are recognizing His call, and “you” can respond. It is possible to understand the Bible. And this is one of the greatest requests you can ever make to God. And it is one God is most pleased to grant. Follow the good examples before you: Ask God!

**This series is a revised and expanded version of the article “Six evils of men posted which was posted in July 2011